SYC dinghy cruises - an overview
If you ever wondered what an SYC dinghy cruise is all about, you can get a feel for what is involved from Elaine Beer's great photos from a previous season here.
OK - the sun doesn't always shine quite as much as in the photos!
Changes for 2017
There are few changes for 2017. The main thing to remember is that the briefing for each cruise is 45 minutes before the published start and all cruise participants are requested to be at the pre-cruise briefing (this is a change of time from earlier years when it used to be 30 minutes before the cruise). It is also highlighted that the time for the each dinghy cruise published in the SYC programme is the start time on the water at buoy 29 (this is the same as previous years). This is similar to the racing at SYC where the published time is expected to be the race start time.
For dinghy cruise OOD's, one change is the recommendation that you try to let people know the planned return departure time on arrival at the destination.
Safety guidelines for SYC organised dinghy cruise events
There is a set of guidelines for those thinking about joining the next dinghy cruise. There are no updates to them for 2017 but why not have a read of them now? While the dinghy cruise "officer of the day" will give a briefing before the cruise, that briefing will focus on the specific issues for the day. It is requested that dinghy cruise participants read and agree to the guidelines before joining a cruise. For those from a racing background, think of these as the dinghy cruise "Sailing Instructions".
However, as well as providing some detailed guidance to try to enable you to make the decision about whether to join a dinghy cruise, the guidelines also list the contact details of some of the more regular dinghy cruisers who would be very happy to receive a call from you to chat about dinghy cruises in general and, if you don't think you are ready to join a cruise just yet, how else to more safely gain sailing experience nearer to the club.
If you are curious about what the dinghy cruise "officer of the day" will get up to (or you are rostered a dinghy cruise OOD for a cruise), you may want to see this page.
Hauling out dinghies on your own
For the solo dinghy sailor (especially those of the cruising variety who might have a heavier dinghy), the slipway at SYC can be quite steep if you are trying to haul out the dinghy on your own. If this is likely to be the case for you, have a look at the page on how to retrieve a dinghy on your own. A PDF version of the page is available for download here (Word version here).
Contact Information
The SYC dinghy cruising co-ordinator is Roger Moseley. Roger's telephone number can be found on the race card or he can be emailed via the club contacts page. The telephone numbers of several other SYC members who regularly join the dinghy cruises can also be found in the SYC Dinghy Cruise Crews Guidelines.
... and finally, the beach cafe
It has to be admitted that a high percentage of dinghy cruises seem to end up at the Exmouth Beach Cafe (as shown in the photo below). Did you know they do loyalty cards now?
